The Pope's Speech to Congress: What Are His Priorities?

A friend of mine wrote this on his Facebook page after the pope's speech to Congress this morning. 

"About 145 babies were aborted during this speech to congress. I'm not sure how many criminals were put to death during that time but I'm guessing it was quite a bit fewer. Just saying."

It got me thinking. How enlightening would it be to go through the speech with a pen and paper and timer and write down how much time was given to each subject? I only heard one sentence about defending life from beginning to end and very little on the family that couldn't be interpreted as applying to the new definition of family in all its diverse forms. There was a lot more, as my friend points out, on capital punishment and, of course, on social justice whatever you think that means.

Reflecting on Words: More on Chesterton

For the past few days, I've immersed myself in Gilbert Magazine, the bi-monthly publication of the American Chesterton Society, which means I've been thinking about words. I doubt Chesterton ever made a statement or used a word without having a clear thought behind it. Woe is me, I cannot claim the same thing. I often make silly or stupid statements when my mouth is running before my brain is in gear. But there is a cure for that: READ MORE CHESTERTON. And then reflect on it.

Today, after reading Fr. James Schall's essay in the Nov/Dec issue (alas, I'm way behind as usual), I was intrigued enough to look up Chesterton's essay, The Silliness of Educated People. What a gem! His analysis of the statement of a British M.P. is hilarious:

Now and then one gets a sentence of monstrous and entangled unintelligence; and it is remarkable to observe that it is almost always quoted from some person of social importance -- a man in what is called a good position; a man with letters after his name. In this case the man was a Member of Parliament; and the words that came forth from him were these: "Any law which enables a man to resist temptation by preventing him from doing wrong, is a good law."